{"id":5606,"date":"2021-04-28T12:50:33","date_gmt":"2021-04-28T12:50:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/beyondsuncare.org\/?p=5606"},"modified":"2021-05-03T11:31:21","modified_gmt":"2021-05-03T11:31:21","slug":"albinism-in-angola-a-new-step-towards-raising-awareness","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/beyondsuncare.org\/en\/albinism-in-angola-a-new-step-towards-raising-awareness\/","title":{"rendered":"Albinism in Angola: A new step towards raising awareness"},"content":{"rendered":"
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There is no official, reliable data on albinism in Angola. My experience in Bi\u00e9 has shown that the number of people with albinism living in the region is quite high – I have seen 75 people in a single week – and most of them suffer from a total lack of access to health care and sunscreen.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

This is how Brazilian dermatologist Carolina Mar\u00e7on<\/strong><\/span><\/a> describes the situation she encountered on a daily basis in her work with albinism in Angola. A country where the life expectancy of people with albinism (PWA) is among the lowest in the world, around 30 years, and skin cancer is one of the main causes of death.<\/p>\n

A difficult situation that is undoubtedly aggravated in rural areas, where children with albinism start working in the fields when they are only four years old<\/strong> and often suffer from severe sunburn. In addition to suffering enormous discrimination and countless beliefs that consider people with albinism to be inferior or at a disadvantage.<\/p>\n

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We continue crossing borders<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

This serious reality about people with albinism in Angola and the commitment we have from Beyond Suncare to fight for their rights and continue crossing borders, have led us to start a new project in the Angolan. A project that we started in April this year serving more than 250 people with albinism in two weeks<\/strong>, and that focuses on the distribution of customized sunscreens, awareness and education of beneficiaries and community, as well as the training of local health professionals<\/strong>, responsible for providing specialized care to this needy population. In this new illusion, we will combine the experience and efforts of Beyond Suncare with the team led by Dr. Carolina Mar\u00e7on; and the support of the International League of Dermatological Societies (ILDS), the Isdin Laboratory and the Aldeia Nissi<\/a><\/strong><\/span>, association, who have been carrying out support work in the region for several years.<\/p>\n

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All this without losing sight of the main objective: to improve the quality of life and reduce the prevalence of skin cancer among PCAs in the province of Bi\u00e9 (central Angola) through access to high quality sun protection, medical care, psychological support and the promotion of social inclusion.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

We were able to share a few minutes chatting with the project manager, Dr. Carolina Mar\u00e7on, about her experience in Bi\u00e9, the needs of people with albinism in the region and the socio-health care they receive and this is what she told us:<\/p>\n

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